It’s a pretty safe bet to say Janja Garnbret is one of the best climbers in the world right now.

With a title like ‘the golden girl of sport climbing’, it’s no surprise she’s one of the favorites for Tokyo 2020.

This Slovenian climber had a pretty impressive start when she entered the IFSC Lead Climbing World Cup, placing 7th overall. Pretty damn impressive for a 16-year-old, not to mention it was her first world cup!

Just imagine the nerves! You’re on a world stage now competing against your climbing heroes and the best in the world.

She carried on to win the “La Sportiva Legends Only” a bouldering competition in the same year, she won out against some other notable climbers like Anna Stöhr and Shauna Coxsey.

The following year Janja came back with a fierce determination and managed to place in pretty much every comp she entered.

By the time the next world cup rolled round she was much better prepared. After a year of hard training and competing, she managed to swipe gold in both Lead and Combined!

When called to defend her world cup titles next year she did one better, not only did she get gold in Lead and Combined again, she also took silver in the bouldering world cup.

Talk about raising the stakes! Janja went all in and held nothing back blowing away spectators with her strong performance.

While being extremely proficient in the competitions and pretty much dominating the women’s scene, Janja has proven to be just as good out of the competitions.

While climbing indoor competitions and outdoor routes and are two completely different styles of climbing, Janja has managed to still excel at both.

She has managed ascents like the 8b Avatar in Croatia at 16! Then the same year she moved onto 8c+ which is pretty crazy when a few decades ago 7b+ was seen as the limit to climbing.

Most climbs at a professional level can take weeks, months, or years before the athlete is able to ascend the route.

So one test pro climbers can use to check their skills is to go for a flash. A flash is where you finish a climb first try without attempting it before, but you can get advice/beta from other climbers who have tried the route.

Flashing can be called the ultimate test of a climber’s natural ability. It requires you to dig deep and trust your instincts. Routes at that level require each move to be pulled off almost perfectly in order, to ensure you are in the right position or have enough strength to complete the route.

But the hard part is only being able to attempt the flash once. So if you fail that’s it. You can never again try to flash the route.

The pressure on ascents like this must be almost unbearable. Knowing that one wrong move can cause the failure that will last you a lifetime.

Despite the pressure and difficulty of the climb, Janja managed to flash La Fabelita which is a pretty damn hard 8c. It looks like the advice she got given from fellow Slovenian Mina Markovič helped, as it’s been said she made the route look almost easy.

But this is all in the past for Janja, goals she has already conquered. With the Olympics in sight, a new goal has emerged for all competition climbers. With this new goal also comes a new format.

For those of you not up to date on the new climbing format, climbers who would normally only compete in 1-2 disciplines like lead and or bouldering, now have to also compete in the third discipline which is Speed Climbing.

This creates a new dilemma for Janja and most other climbers. Some pros had never even tried speed climbing before this change and starting to train for it now gives them no way near enough time to get to a level needed for the Olympics.

The reasoning behind this change is climbing only has 1 medal and it would be unfair to pick one of the other disciplines over the others.

Despite these new challenges, Janja still won even with the tough competition in the IFSC World Championships which adopted the Olympics style for the first time in 2018.

She claimed gold in the Bouldering and combined, but didn’t manage to place gold in the finals for the lead climbing.

Battling with Jessica Pilz, Janja narrowly missed out on coming first place due to being 11 seconds slower to finish the final problem. Talk about a close call!

Janja also got gold in the World Cup Lead climbing and combined events making it the second time she has won both the World Cup and World Championships.

With so many achievements under her belt, it’s no surprise that Janja Garnbret (climbing’s golden girl) is expected to do extremely well at the Olympic games.

Okay, the first thing that you should know is that there’s nothing crazy that’ll be expected of you on first time.

Honestly, don’t worry. The staff at your local indoor bouldering place will be lovely, accommodating people that’ll help you out with anything you need to know.

However, it’s nice to know before you go isn’t it? So let’s sort out all the questions you have about starting bouldering once and for all.

First of all, let’s start with the burning question:

What Do I Need To Bring?

Clothing

You’ll need to wear gym clothing that lets you have a comfortably wide range of movement.

The reason for this is pretty straight forward. You can’t climb in tight fashion jeans or other restrictive clothing because climbing requires you to be able to move your arms and legs around all the time.

First of all, it’d get pretty tiring. Climbing is already a physically intense activity, and working against your own clothing is going to get in the way of your first time.

Secondly, when you fall, you’ll want to be able to land on your feet and bend your knees without any difficulty. Honestly: any difficulty in being able to do something like that just puts you at unnecessary risk for spraining an ankle or something.

Thirdly, you might actually damage your clothes if you make sudden movements in restrictive clothing. There’s also the chalk. You’ll get your clothes absolutely covered in it.

Basically, It’ll work out cheaper in the end to just get some suitable clothing.

Here’s what I suggest:

Sport pants, cargo pants or loose, non-restrictive jeans

T-shirt

Hair bobble for long hair

Notice how I left shoes off there? That’s because you’re going to need to hire climbing shoes when you get there.

No, normal shoes won’t do. Climbing shoes are completely different. You wouldn’t want to walk around in them in daily life.

If you want to get your own pair, either to save money or to get something nicer than rentals, then take a look at this guide to the different types of climbing shoes.

Also, for those on a tight budget, I wrote a guide to spending as little money as possible with your starter bouldering gear here.

However, if you want something absolutely top end, like, what the best climbers in the world use for bouldering, then take a look here instead.

What Should I Start With?

When you’re starting out in bouldering, you’re not going to tackle the high grade routes. That even goes for heavy gym goers, because climbing uses all the muscles, tendons and ligaments that you don’t use in the gym.

Besides, the higher grades require holding onto such tiny holds that you’ll think that they’re impossible until someone else comes along and does it like it’s nothing. That’s what bouldering is like.

But you know what? That’s completely expected. This isn’t like the gym where you get small ego-battles around the bench press.

Start with the easiest routes.

To find them, take a look at the color coded charts that are dotted around the place. It’ll tell you which color holds belong to which difficulty.

Then, of course, remember what color the easiest one is, and go do all of them.

At my local bouldering gym, green is the easiest. If you’re doing a route that’s colored green, it means that you’re not allowed to use holds of any other color. That’s how indoor climbing works.

You might see big blocky shaped jutting out of the wall that make it look less flat and more like an actual rock face. By all means use those. They’re called “volumes.”

Just don’t use any holds of the wrong color that are on those volumes, because that’d be cheating.

Oh, and try to start with your hands on the clearly labeled holds, in a sitting position with your feet off the ground, resting on the little holds of your route that are down below, right by the floor. If that’s too hard, you can skip it at the start, but that’s the way it’s meant to be done.

Of course, when you’re done with the entry-level routes, then move on up the colors. It’ll get much harder after a couple levels, but don’t worry, the routes will reset each week, so you’ll have a fresh set to try next time if you run out of the ones that you can manage.

Just don’t overdo it on your first time. I tore the skin on my hands to shreds by doing routes that were above what my poor hands were used to. That was only because I was slipping off constantly, grating my hands each time.

Your hands will be fine afterwards if you don’t go crazy like I did, but if you do, then make sure to use a lot of chalk. It’ll help protect your hands and stop you slipping off the trickier holds.

Chalk

Chalk isn’t just for pros.

You’ll absolutely need some. You can’t climb without it.

If your local bouldering place doesn’t rent out chalk, then you can certainly buy some, but it’ll probably be cheaper online. Here‘s the chalk ball I recommended in that “climbing on a budget” article I mentioned earlier.

A chalk ball will coat your hands better, spill less, and generally last way longer than loose chalk.

However, if you want to get some standard equipment rather than make-do with using a chalk ball in the resealable ziploc bag it comes in, then get Black Diamond’s loose chalk, which is great value for money, and a chalk bag.

Whichever option you go for, just be sure to dust your hands with chalk regularly, and don’t worry about spilling a bit on the floor mats. It’s all expected.

Well, that’s it. That’s all you need to bring with you. Let’s move on to the next question.

What if I Fall?

Oh, you will fall.

And that’s not a problem.

As soon as you walk in, you’ll notice that the floor is absolutely lined with bouldering mats.

These things are amazing. They’ll break your fall perfectly as long as you remember to land on your feet and bend your knees.

The first time you fall? Yeah, it’s scary, but when you land you’re like, “Oh, that was nothing.”

You basically had more chance of hurting yourself when climbing in the local playpark as a kid.

Generally, you’ll want to climb down from the top of each route if you can.

What Do I Do When I Reach the Top?

To complete a route, you’ll need to be able to place both hands on the highest hold of the colored route you’re taking, without cheating by using any other colors.

Once you’re done, climb down using any colors you like. The downclimb is just about getting down so you can collapse on the bouldering mats a safe distance away from the wall and have a rest.

What Are the Basic Safety Precautions?

Always keep away from other climbers who are climbing the route. Don’t stand under them or anything, and don’t do a route that could cause a clash if one of you fell. If you have a look at the other climbers around the bouldering place, you’ll get a good idea of the etiquette.

If you grab a hold and it’s loose, then go immediately tell a member of staff. However, it’s normal for holds to move ever so slightly when you grab them, so just use your common sense. “Is it dangerously loose? Then report it to a member of staff.”

If you fall, look down where you’ll land and make sure you land on your feet and bend your knees. Placing your hands on the floor as you land can help soften the impact too, and it’ll keep your balance a little better.

Don’t leave your stuff in the areas where climbers will be falling. You’ll either break your stuff or break the other climbers.

Climb down whenever you can. Use whatever color holds you like to make it easier.

What’s the Most Important Piece of Advice?

Have fun!

No really, go wild. You’ll soon be completely in the state of flow, the hours will just fly by.

The greatest thing about bouldering is that it’s basically the only socially acceptable way to climb around as an adult like you did in playparks as a kid.

Take advantage of that… because very other climber at the place will be!

So, you may have heard that Adam is the favorite to win the Olympics but what you might not realize is why.

I think the best way to understand is to learn a little more about Adam, the things he has done and the legend he is making.

Born on February the 4th 1993 in Brno a beautiful Czech city Adam arrived in the world already harnessed up ready to climb. Born to two climbers, the big walls never stood a chance.

By age 8 he had already conquered an onsight 7b+(5.12c) to put that in perspective for you, most average adults only climb between 6c – 7a.

This means by the age of 8, Adam had already surpassed a majority of climbers and he was just getting started. Over the next decade, Ondra proceeds to hone and sharpen his climbing skills.

By age 9 he was redpointing 8c and at 11 he onsighted 8a+ and redpointed 8c. This kid was just eating grades that took most climbers years to move through.

There is even a rumor floating around that his parents built him a climbing wall in his bedroom to try and cut down on the gym trips and to allow him to climb during his rest days.

With the perfect background for climbing, it’s no wonder Adam took no prisoners and placed top 3 in most of the competitions he entered from ages 11-16.

Then to top it all off in 2009 at age 16, Ondra won the lead climbing world cup, however, he didn’t stop there and the next year he set his sights on the bouldering world cup.

After a battle with Austrian climber Kilian Fischhuber and Japanese climber Tsukuru Hori, Ondra managed to secure first place and become the first climber to win Gold in both Lead Climbing and Bouldering and remain’s the only climber to do so today.

It’s crazy to think that during this time Ondra was still splitting his time between school and climbing.

However, 2012 changed all this, Adam finished school and wanted to leave his own mark in the climbing world. He wanted to give something back to the sport that had given him so much.

At the time the hardest grade in the world was 9b which already seemed to be pushing the physical limits of the human body. Adam, however, seemed to have a little more push in him than the rest of us and set out to change that.

Adam had his sights on a beautiful cave in Norway called Hanshelleren. This is where he would leave his mark. Over the space of 4 months, Ondra scouted the cave finding a path through the endless sea of granite.

After months of grueling hard work, Adam finally reached his goal and climbed this beast and left the start of his legacy in the climbing world.

He decided to name the climb ‘Change’ to signify what it meant to him. Not only was this a change for Adam, as he no longer had to split his time between school and climbing, it was also a change for the climbing world. A message that climbing still hadn’t hit its limit and there were harder climbs to be found.

The next step in Adams climbing journey was a rendezvous with Chris Sharma, the undisputed king of sport climbing. Chris had been struggling to climb a route he set called ‘La Dura Dura’ (The hard hard). He invited Adam to join him, hoping to spark some friendly competition which might help Chris send the route.

This meet up is also seen in the eyes of a lot of climbers as Chris passing over the mantle of “worlds best rock climber” to Ondra and the next generation of climbers.

After weeks of grueling hard work and difficult climbing, Adam became the first person to climb La Dura Dura. This must have sparked something in Chris as he also managed the route a month later, something he didn’t think himself capable of.

If you are still not impressed yet, don’t worry it gets better. Ever heard of the dawn wall? Its the part of El Cap that lights up at dawn as first sun touches the wall.

While photogenic, this beautiful piece of rock also offers some of the hardest big wall climbing in the world. A lot of people thought it couldn’t be done, but two famous climbers called Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson spent 6 years finding a route up 3000ft are razor blade rock and difficult climbing and proved them wrong.

Adam, inspired by their 18-day assault to free climb the whole route in one run, just had to fly out to Yosemite and try it for himself. What happened next surprised a lot of people!

Adam managed the clear out the dawn wall in just a couple of weeks and made the second ascent. I forgot to mention that this was also Adams first time in Yosemite, crazy right?

Adam was running out of challenges fast and needed something new and challenging. He ended up creating his own challenge out of necessity.

He dubbed this ‘Project Hard’.

The project was a climb out in Flatanger Norway and back in Hanshelleren where Adam created ‘Change’ his 9b+ route so many years ago.

Adam had been trying this route on and off for 4 years! This dude managed to send the dawn wall in a couple of weeks. Imagine how hard this climb has to be for him to struggle for 4 years!

However, his lifetime of training, hard work and dedication paid off, as on September the third 2017 Adam managed to finish the route and successfully climb the worlds first 9c.

What makes Adam such an amazing climber?

There is something that I have avoided talking about so far. And that’s Adams visualization and simulation training techniques that I think are the key to what puts him ahead of other climbers.

While bizarre, intense, and awkward to watch the technique really helps him nail down certain move sets and allows him to pull harder, grip stronger and move faster while on routes.

Adam usually grabs his physical therapist to help him simulate climbs (Taking the term physical therapist to a new level).

You can watch an example of it here. As you can see it’s pretty weird to watch. But hey, the best are the best for a reason right?

His sights are set!

With Adam being only 26 he is in an amazing place to get gold at the Olympics. He’s old enough to have gained the experience needed to win across three disciplines and also young enough to be in his peak physical condition.

But I think most importantly he has set his sights on the Olympics as his next challenge. Once Adam sets his mind on something, it usually happens.

Just look at Change, The Dawn Wall, La Dura Dura, Silence and 100’s of other insane climbs that have fallen to this man’s pure willpower and climbing prowess.

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